POTTSTOWN — A bond between a father and his daughter is special and each relationship is unique.

But whether their relationship is tumultuous or smooth, daughters learn from their fathers and vice-versa.

For three-time Olympic gold medalist, Misty May-Treanor, she learned about the game she loves from her father, Butch May.

“He would always tell me 21-1 is a close game or 15-1 is a close game,” she said. “He was always my biggest critic, even on my best days. But I think that is great because you always want to find ways to improve. Even on your best day.”

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May played on the 1968 indoor volleyball team during the Mexico City Olympics.

May-Treanor took home gold in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Olympics in beach volleyball with her teammate, Kerri Walsh Jennings.

Together, they are traveling the country hosting clinics for players of all skill sets.

“I think it’s very special. Both him and my mother were both an integral part for me to get where I am. It’s fun that we have that special bond and I can share that with the kids,” May-Treanor said about having her father teach with her during the Dream in Gold clinics.

Through all his years coaching and supporting her, May-Treanor said her father always gave her good advice.

“He also taught me to play for those who couldn’t play,” she said. “When you think you’re having your worst day, you go out there and remember that there is somebody out there watching you and you play for them.”

May, who will be 73 in November, grew up in Hawaii and has played all over the world.

When he went to represent the United States in 1968, May worked in the composing room for a newspaper.

“Back then, you had to quit jobs to go to the Olympics,” he said. “So I quit a good job.”

Athletics played a big role when May-Treanor was growing up. Her mother, Barbara May, was a nationally ranked tennis player.

May said that when his daughter was young she played many different sports, and for a while, she had to play on an all-boys soccer team in California.

Despite the enjoyment his daughter got from sports, May said his she really wanted to dance.

“We knew she was gifted, but she just wanted to be a dancer,” May said.

Even though May helped shape May-Treanor into the elite athlete and role model she has become, he tells parents to let children grow up the way they want.

“You let them grow up the way they grow up. You let them become little people,” he said.

May said he often jokes with reporters that his daughter was born with an extra ear so that they will relax and realize she is a down-to-Earth person with talent.

“She’s like normal,” May said.

After their weekend in the borough, the Olympic pair will travel to Oshkosh, Wis.

“I always stick him with the little kids because he is so good at teaching the game,” she said. “I love that the kids, eight or nine years old, get to learn the game the way that I did.”

“I may say the right things, but I’ll never give them wrong advice,” May said about new players. “I’m not afraid to use vocabulary.”

May-Treanor said that having her father come to the clinic is beneficial for him as well as the up-and-coming players.

“For him to come to the clinics to see how we’ve been able to spread and grow the game and the love for the game,” she said about her father. “But they also get to see that ‘Hey, that’s her dad and she learned her skills from him,’ it makes for a unique experience.”

Not only does May get to meet fans and help new players catch the volleyball bug; he gets to see old competitors as well.

“A lot of the players who have been around for a while know Butch May. It makes it fun when he’s able to see faces from the past,” she said.

But May-Treanor said the best thing about having her father at the clinics is the time they get to spend together.

May said that he used to say he was lucky when he talked about his life and his daughter but now, he said, he tells people he is blessed.

“I’ve been blessed because I’ve been around her and been able to enjoy her so much,” May said.

About the Author

Caroline Sweeney formerly worked as the police reporter for the Pottstown Mercury. She is no longer on staff. If you wish to contact anyone at The Mercury about her stories, please call our main number at 610-323-3000 and ask for the editorial department. Reach the author at csweeney@pottsmerc.com
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